The use of touch-sensitive surfaces as input devices for computers and other electronic computing devices has increased significantly in recent years. Exemplary touch-sensitive surfaces include touch pads and touch screen displays. Such surfaces are widely used to control devices with media players.
But existing methods for navigating in a media player and for selecting and using media player controls are cumbersome and inefficient, particularly in portable devices with small screens. Finding and using the desired music control function is tedious and creates a significant cognitive burden on a user. In addition, existing methods take longer than necessary, thereby wasting energy. This latter consideration is particularly important in battery-operated devices.